


Once In A While

by casliyn



Series: ambitchious [2]
Category: Veep (TV)
Genre: Background Relationships, Continuation, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Past Relationship(s), epilogue sequel, parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-09-19 13:43:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17002761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casliyn/pseuds/casliyn
Summary: As they grow in their own terms as parents to their own children and co-parenting with their daughter from high school, Dan and Amy must come to terms on their feelings with one another as their current relationships with others make them question everything.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ApparentlyConfuddled](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApparentlyConfuddled/gifts), [LadyofPembroke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyofPembroke/gifts).



> I felt a tad bit dissatisfied with the ending of 'ambitchious' and decided to resolve it the best way I can. Writing an epilogue to thoroughly close out the story. After receiving a ton of request to do some sort of continuation on this particular story, I decided to write a two-part story.

 “How would you feel about me taking Brynn to New York,” Amy spoke up as she fed Claire pureed Avocado.

 

Ryan looks up from his position at the stove and over to Amy with a raised eyebrow.

 

“I thought Sally always takes her there.” his lips pursed together.

 

Claire opens her mouth to take the spoon in her mouth as Amy combs a hand through her hair with a small sigh.

 

“She usually does  _but_ she has this important meeting in California with her clients and can’t miss it.”

 

He clicks his tongue and strokes his growing stubble.

 

It was understandable that Ryan had a potential issue with her traveling to New York without him and seeing Dan.

 

Since she loved him and wanted to remain honest in their relationship, she told him the truth about what happened between her and Dan after Sally’s wedding.

 

Understandably, Ryan was pissed for a good two weeks before softening up on Amy and allowing for them to have a second chance at their relationship.

 

“Honestly? I’m not exactly  _keen_ on the two of you seeing each other after all the shit you’ve done.”

 

She straightens out her posture as she wipes Claire’s messy mouth a towel.

 

“I understand that but I’m only going for Brynn and to film those two segments I’ve been asked to do.” she takes a bite of her salad.

 

“With Dr. Drew?” he raises an eyebrow at her as he flips the burger patty on the skillet.

 

Amy nods and clears her throat,

 

“Him and that one interview for Robin Meade’s show.” she picks the baby spoon up and begins to feed Claire again.

 

She wasn’t essentially excited about the tv appearances but, it was important for her and Ryan to continue making a presence in the public eye if he wanted to be the Mayor.

 

“Have you told Brynn yet?”

 

Claire whines after Amy tries to feed her a few more times which prompts her to give up and just begin to clean her face and hands with the white towel.

 

“I’ll talk to her about it after I pick her up from school tomorrow.” she balances Claire on her hips and begins to scroll through her phone.

 

Since Dan was in New York (and busier than they all thought he would be), Brynn stayed a few nights with Sally whenever Dan wasn’t able to fly out to visit.

 

Ryan slides the patty onto the burger buns and turns to face Amy and Claire.

 

“Ryan, if you don’t want me to go then-”

 

“I want  _Brynn_ to go.” he twists his body and places the skillet in the sink, “Dan’s  _her_ father and it’s only right that she goes spend time with him and her little brother.”

 

She tilts her head to the side,

 

“You’re not telling me what you want-”

 

“It’s not about what  _I_ want.” he puts a hand on his chest which prompts Amy to rock on her heels with hunched shoulders.

 

“Ryan. All I need is a simple yes or no.”

 

Ryan sighs and combs a hand through his hair.

 

He groans in defeat,  _“No._ I honestly don’t feel comfortable with you seeing him in New York.”

 

On one hand, she understood his protective stance on the idea of her seeing Dan.

 

But on the other...it was just frustrating for him to believe that she would prefer Dan over him.

 

It may be hard to believe but Amy had accepted that her and Dan’s relationship was over _._

 

While yes, it may be hard to believe..it was better to accept it now that later, not to mention it was always inevitable.

 

She clicks her tongue as she feels Claire’s hands tangle on a lock of her hair.

 

“I’m not in the mood to argue right now, I’ll put her to sleep.” she turns away from him but he puts a hand on her shoulder and slowly turns her back towards him.

 

He leans down and places a soft kiss on the crown of Claire’s head and places a soft one on Amy’s lips.

 

“I know I’m acting like a Grade A Dickwad but it’s only because I love you and don’t want to see you get hurt again.” he narrows his eyes at her and she gives him a weak smile.

 

It was comforting to know that Ryan cared about her and Brynn.

 

* * *

“Why don’t you tell me why you were sent to the office today?”

 

Brynn releases an irritated groin and crosses her arms from her booster seat as Amy keeps her eyes on the road directly ahead of her.

 

She briefly turns around to see Brynn playing with her phone and her head bowed down with a disgruntled look playing on her young features.

 

“Put down the phone and answer my question,” she orders the young girl.

 

Brynn’s teacher had notified Amy that her behavior card went from Green to Yellow and it stayed there for a majority of the day.

 

Apparently, Brynn’s attitude was terrible the whole day and it resulted in her being sent down to the office to have a talk with the Principal.

 

Having had enough of the silence, once she arrives at a stop light she twists her body around and snatches the phone right out of her hands. (Unfortunately, Brynn was very much like Amy; she couldn’t set her phone down).

 

“Why would you do that?” the young girl protests with a dramatic sigh.

 

Amy drops the phone in the glove compartment,  “Because I asked you a question and you were too busy playing on your phone.” she returns her hands to the steering wheel, “Now answer the question, why were you sent to the office?”

 

The young child combs a hand through her hair.

 

“I didn’t want to do the stupid project they were doing.” she crosses her arms as Amy rolls her eyes, “My teacher wanted us to do something about our families and  _I_ thought it was a waste of time.”

 

God, when did her seven-year-old turn into a seventeen-year-old?

 

“Well, that’s not your call to make, Brynn.” Amy shakes her head, “You go to school to learn things and you can’t learn anything if you have a bad attitude.”

 

Here and there Brynn went through her fair share of mood swings but in the past few months, they’ve been out of control.

 

Part of her knew that some of the anger probably stemmed from Claire getting a majority of the attention but she couldn’t decipher the rest.

 

Brynn mumbles something under her breath and wriggles around in her car seat.

 

“I can’t learn anything if it’s stupid.” she protests.

 

“Brynn, I told you to not use that word.”

 

Brynn groans and dramatically hits her head against the headrest of the seat,

 

“ _Daddy_ lets me use that word.”

 

Ah, the classic line.

 

It wasn’t rare for Amy to scold Brynn on things that he usually encouraged (or didn’t care enough to scold her on).

 

“That doesn't mean it’s okay to say.” she shakes her head as her food rests on the gas pedal slightly.

 

She looks through her rearview mirror to see Brynn roll her eyes and mumble to herself.

 

“Well then why don’t you call him and tell that to him yourself.” she crosses her arms and Amy ‘s grip tightens on the steering wheel.

 

It didn’t exactly help that Brynn experienced mood swings more than usual and had the attitude of her father.

 

“How about I call your dad and tell him to just cancel your birthday trip? Does that seem appropriate for you?”

 

Her jaw drops and she leans her head against the headrest

 

“You can’t do that!” she protests

 

Amy brushes a hand through her hair, “I can and I will if you keep acting like this.” The child makes a muffled noise from the backseat and Amy turns the corner and enters the familiar neighborhood.

 

“If you talk to me then you won’t have to worry about that happening though.” Amy shrugs her shoulders and props her elbow on the middle console.

 

She hears Brynn sniffle and wipes the small tears forming at her eyes.

 

She doesn’t mean to make her cry by any means but _,_ she didn’t want her child to be a spoiled fucking brat because ‘Daddy’ will be there to cater to her every whim.

 

“Am I trouble?” Brynn stammers out.

 

Amy sighs as she pulls into the large parking lot of their house and presses the garage button,“ _Yep._ No phone or T.V for a week until you decide to stop acting like this.” she pulls into the garage and sets the car into park.

 

Brynn groans in the back seat and Amy just shakes her head.

 

When the fuck did Brynn become a mini Dan Egan?

 

* * *

Despite Dan being 224.9 miles away (and being on television), she still managed to hear rumblings and rumors about him.

 

In a way, it’s like their back in school again.

 

Amy hearing all of these rumors and stories traveling down the halls and making their way towards her to hear.

 

“You know when you go to New York every question is going to be about Dan and Brooke’s shit, right?” Ryan asks her a few days before she and Brynn left for New York.

 

Amy continues to type on her laptop and sighs,

 

“Yeah. I figured that.” she runs a hand up and down her arm.

 

Ryan shrugs his shoulders and makes his way over to their bed and plops down next to her.

 

A moment of silence falls throughout their room as he leans forward and strokes her ankle gently.

 

“What are you going to say then?” he inquires her.

 

In a way, she knew that this question was coming since it was all anyone in her inner circle could fucking talk about.

 

Her mom was constantly asking her what was happening, Sue kept throwing shade at Dan and his ‘situation’ and one of the kids at Brynn’s school had the nerve to ask her about it.

 

“I have no idea.” she shrugs her shoulders, “The only thing  _I_ know about what’s happening is what they’ve said on the news and from Brooke’s social media rants.”

 

Ryan gulps at that and combs a hand through his brown hair. “It’s a real Fucked 22.”

 

Amy nods at that and finishes typing as she sends off an email.

 

“It sure is.” she stretches out her legs on the bed and sighs,

 

“By the way, while I’m gone you are going to your Uncle Tom’s cocktail party. The press will be there and it’s a great opportunity to be seen with your political powerhouse family.”

 

Ryan smirks at her and leans forward to press a kiss on Amy’s cheek.

 

“You’re so adorable when you try to change the subject.”

 

She rolls her eyes at that and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear.

 

Her shoulders tense up but Ryan’s hands grasp her shoulders and settle them back down.

 

“It’s-I..I just don’t want to travel all that way for all this shit to blow up in front of Brynn and I don’t want any part in the drama that’ll happen.”

 

Ryan nods at that and pinches the bridge of his nose.

 

“It sounds like you need to talk to Dan and set some ground rules with him so he knows what you will and won’t tolerate.”

 

With their custody agreement, Amy figured that the two of them could set their lives apart and live their lives in stride with their common ground being their daughter.

 

But, because of the never-ending drama that Brooke managed to carry with her, it made everything more difficult than it needed to be.

 

“Sally told him that I’m coming instead so when we get there, I’ll establish some ground rules,” she confirms with a nod of her head.

 

It’s not like she particularly enjoyed talking about Dan with Ryan.

 

Despite the two men never meeting, Amy knew that there was tension between the two and she made it a goal to keep the two of them as far away from one another as possible.

 

It was always awkward whenever Dan came up in a conversation.

 

Especially now since Ryan knows about them hooking up not so long ago after they had an argument at Sally’s wedding.

 

It wasn’t one of her proudest moments.

 

“Hopefully that’ll smooth things over between you two. Make sure things are right for Brynn at least.”

 

She bites her bottom lip and strokes the nape of her neck

 

“Hopefully.”

* * *

 "I'm coming to New York with Brynn," she informs him over the phone after successfully putting the girl's down for the night. 

 

 He clears his throat, "What? She can't fly here by herself?" he retorts and she swears she can picture him doing that smug asshole smile thing where he's biting his bottom lip and leaning back with an amused look on his face.

 

 "Sounds like you need a new team of writers if the ones you have now are writing bullshit like that." she takes a sip of her wine and sinks into her office couch.

 

 "Thanks for the compliment, really means a lot." he sarcastically responds to her as she hears a few muffled noises in the background, "Now what do you have planned for when you come out here."

 

 She scrolls through her e-mails as she holds her cell phone with her shoulder to her ear, "We'll fly there tomorrow morning, grab Breakfast, I'll bring her to the show taping with me and after I can drop her off with you."

 

 "Where are you going after that then?" she imagines him leaning back in whatever overpriced office chair he's purchased. 

 

 She wants to stand her ground tell him about her hotel reservations just so he knows how she has no intentions whatsoever of cohabitating with him.

 

 But at the same time, she had no energy to go back and forth with him over why he thinks she should stay with them. 

 

 "Work. I can't afford to leave my desk for a week so, I have to bring it all with me." she filters through her emails for her hotel confirmation. 

 

 He makes a funny noise on the opposing end of the line; she can tell that he doesn't buy her for one minute. 

 

 "Meet up with a few friends, film my interview and do whatever I guess." she double-clicks her mousepad hesitantly. 

 "Friends huh? You've got someone to set-"

 

 "You need to talk to Brynn." she interrupts him without hesitation. 

 

 "Why? What'd she do?" he can practically hear his eyebrow raise over the phone. 

 

 She combs a frustrated hand through her hair and sighs, "She's been misbehaving since the wedding at home and school and it's starting to get old." 

 

 "Well she's a seven-year-old in therapy for hypervigilance, maybe this is one of the factors that come with it."

 

 That was the last thing she wanted him to say.

 

 Probably because it's exactly what the therapist had told her at Brynn's last session and she was still trying to wrap her head around it. 

 

 "If we say keep reminding her of that then she'll use it as a defense mechanism everytime she gets into trouble." she adjusts her posture.

 

 She plays with the sleeve of her sweater as he responds with a cautious tone.

 

 "Well we can't act like it doesn't exist-and shouldn't we both talk to her? It would be weird for us to do it separately."

 

 She doesn't know what he's trying to hint at, she figures it'll only be weird if he makes it weird. 

 

 "This whole situation is weird, Dan." she huffs out, "Not to mention the fact she barely speaks to me."

 

 The line goes still as she silently curses herself out. What was she trying to do? Give him the bullets to shoot her confidence way down to the ground?

 

 He clicks his tongue, "That's what all of this is about isn't it?" he pauses giving her time to speak, and when she doesn't he continues, "What? Is she pushing you away or something?"

 

 God, was she ever.

 

 There was so much she wanted to tell him; from Brynn's meltdowns to her teacher calling her about how her card goes from Green to Yellow in a matter of seconds on a consistent basis. 

 

 "She's just acting weird, I'm getting worried about her." she strokes the nape of her neck worryingly as she discards her laptop to the floor and brings her knees into her chest. "One minute she'll want to talk to me then the next she'll be having a meltdown."

 

 He sighs and she hears a few papers shuffle around, "Maybe she's been feeling left out..with the baby and all that." 

 

 "It's been months, she should be over it by now." she shakes her head defiantly. "She seems fine with Brandon." 

 

 "At this rate, she sees Brandon more than I do and lord knows that's not often." she winces at the pain in his voice.

 

 It was no secret that Brooke had been holding the baby from Dan for some time now, it was hard not to know since Dan had been the target of Brooke's angry tweets on Twitter.

 

 Make no mistake, Dan was an asshole among many other things but one thing he always prided himself on was being a good father.

 

 Regardless on if Brandon was planned or not, she knew deep down that Dan loved his kids and she could tell from the way he says Brandon's name that he's going through a lot.

 

 She's tired of talking about herself so, she turns the conversation onto him.

 

 "Has Sally seen him at least?" she tries

 

 He blows out his cheeks, "Nope. She's keeping her distance in Canada for whatever reason." 

 

 She plays with her sweater sleeve with a frustrated sigh.

 

 She didn't know if it was because she was a woman herself but she saw right through Brooke like the piece of plastic she was. It was all apart of some unnecessary, mastermind plan to secure a financial fortune for the baby (and more importantly, herself). 

 

 "Look. If now is a bad time for us to come and visit then just say the word and we can come another week." she sits up against the couch pillows.

 

 He sighs, "Are you kidding me? The only thing keeping me on the ground right now is knowing that Brynn is coming out here. That's it."

 

 "Don't forget your show." Amy chimes in; not being able to help herself. 

 

 Luckily for her though, he laughs at that comment and she finds herself slowly joining in.

 

Throughout his endless amount of bullshit he was being dragged through, she still knew that he was the same egotistical Dan deep down.

 

The one that probably got a raging hard-on whenever he remembered the fact that he has his own goddamn show on CNN for everyone in the whole world to watch him.

 

 But, she'll save that for another time. 

 

She's a grown woman with two kids and a fiancee so, she wraps up the call and takes her tired ass to bed. 

* * *

She’s glowing.

 

For someone who has undergone as much as she did, he always found it a miracle of how much she glowed.

 

On the outside, everything looks so perfect.

 

Her hair’s longer, the baby weight coming off, she’s wearing a bright colored dress and she’s using that beautiful smile of hers.

 

But, thanks to his now growing expertise on the magic of television, he knows that it’s all an act.

 

With a decent stylist and great hair and makeup team, anything is possible.

 

It also helps that she’s wearing that gigantic engagement boulder on her ring finger like a proud Stepford wife.

 

Had he known any better, he would’ve confused her for Mother of the Year.

 

Dr. Drew asks her about the wedding and her ‘handsome’ fiancee (who looks to be the new mayor of D.C thanks to his high approval rating) to which Amy responds with a girly giggle and blush (she never blushes).

 

It’s a bold move he has to concede.

 

Going on a family oriented program such as Dr. Drew to promote her fiancee’s political career and seemingly flawless family life.

 

“How’s the wedding planning going? Most couples would admit it’s a stressful time but I can’t imagine what it’s like on top of running a blazing hot political campaign?” Dr. Drew questions with an intriguing smile.

 

He watches as she gives Dr. Drew a charming smile and twists her ring (it had to have been at least 15 carats)

 

“It’s been an interesting process.” she bites on her bottom lip, “Right now our main priority is obviously the campaign but, we’ve managed to squeeze in a few days of planning.”

 

Translation: ‘I’m too busy trying to win a goddamn election and could give a rat’s ass about this wedding.’

 

He unscrews the cap of his water bottle and takes a long swig of the cold beverage (he was trying to cut back on his alcohol lately).

 

It had been a rough few weeks.

 

Him and Brooke arguing over who gets Brandon, him not being able to see Brynn as much as he once was and the fact that he was almost too busy to have any sort of relationship.

 

Aside from his occasional quickies with a few women, he was painfully single at the moment.

 

It didn’t help that  _every time_ he tried to live his life he had to watch Amy and Ryan flaunt around their relationship like they were in a goddamn parade.

 

Between the social media posts, interviews and the countless articles of people practically fawning over the two of them he was not that far off from putting a bullet through his head to rid himself of the view.

 

“What’s the relationship like between Brynn and Claire? I know most parents are challenged after adding a second child to their family since the first one tends to feel neglected.”

 

It’s funny he thinks to himself. Who better to speak on hostile relationships with siblings than Amy herself?

 

She’s too good though.

 

He watches as she gives the host a charming nod and adjusts her hair behind her back with one controlled movement.

 

“It was an adjustment after having Claire since I’ve been so used to only dealing with one child but it’s much easier now. But Brynn is a great big sister and she’s very happy to have a little sister.”

 

Lies.

 

The last time he had spoken to Brynn she was talking non-stop about how much she couldn’t stand her younger sister since she was always crying or screaming.

 

If Amy was going to lie on national television he would expect her to have the guts to do it convincingly at least.

 

“What about her relationship with her younger brother? Do they get along well despite their living situation being different?”

 

And he’s never been prouder of someone else who wasn’t him.

 

For months he was waiting for Amy to actually confront their issues head-on and she had always surrendered the idea with either flat out ignoring him or looking the other way.

 

He can’t help but lean forward on the edge of his seat in anticipation as he watches her try to pull herself together to answer the question.

 

“Well. I definitely encourage her to have a relationship with both of her siblings because they are related to one another  _and_ it’s always been important to me that she maintains a healthy relationship with both of them.”

 

Dr. Drew nods at that, it’s an understanding nod that conveys that he’s given her his full attention and sympathy.

 

“One thing that most people don’t realize is that you and your partner at the time, Dan Egan; who we all know as the host of ‘Money Talks with Dan Egan’ on CNN were fairly young at the time you had your daughter.”

 

This was better than almost all of the sex he’s ever had (almost).

 

Amy grits her teeth and nods at Dr. Drew. 

 

“I was wondering how that relationship has changed you as a person and where exactly the two of you stand right now.” he takes a quick glance at the index cards nestled in his hand

 

She takes a deep breath and that and he finds himself going along with her.

 

There wasn’t much to say anymore.

 

What they had was amazing but it was obvious his time was up, it was time to move on and fry bigger fish.

“It was a very... _challenging_ relationship to say the least,” she admits,

 

“When you’re a teenager, you’re extremely selfish and make a habit of doing things that don’t always make sense.” she feigns “Unfortunately, there were a lot more downs than ups but, I think the best thing to come out of the relationship was our daughter.” she threads her fingers together.

 

It was weird.

 

He knew she was right but for some reason, he didn’t want to agree with her. He didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of being right.

 

It was a power that he wasn’t willing to give up.

  
Despite her giving the perfect television answer, part of him knew that those were her genuine and honest feelings about their past.

 

“So would I be right in believing that the two of you don’t communicate?”

 

She nods instantly.

She could’ve at least taken a bit more time and not seemed so damn eager.

 

“The only thing we communicate about is our daughter.” she shrugs defensively, “I respect Ryan and value our relationship so, I’ve moved on.” she declared in a rehearsed manner.

 

Dr. Drew takes the in and releases a soft sigh.

 

“Do you think that by you two barely communicating it’ll have a negative effect on Brynn.”

 

Hell yes.

 

“For her sake, we do put up a united front simply because we don’t want her to feel as if anything between us is in any way her fault."  

Translation: "No we don't fucking talk so stop asking me if we do."

* * *

 

_"You guys argue much?"_

 

Amy's nostrils flared as she turns her head to the side and sees Dan standing there with his hands situated in his suit jacket and a look of confusion on his face. 

 

"I'm sorry?" her shoulders hike up in defense as she uncrosses her legs and stands up from the lounge chair.

"Do you two argue often?" Dan repeats himself in a slower tongue. 

 

Amy crinkles her nose at him as she turns her body away from him, "Your pick-up lines have progressively gotten worse over the years." she tries to wave him, "I'm leaving and  _don't_ follow me." she throws over her shoulder. 

 

He sighs at that-it had been a long fucking day and the last thing he wanted to do was argue with her. 

 

"Fine by me. I'm done chasing you around." he waves her off and takes a seat in the lounge chair she had evacuated seconds earlier. 

 

Instead of hearing the door close shut, he hears a loud slam that's forceful enough to shake the patio furniture near him. 

 

"What the fuck is  _your_ problem?" Amy eyes him up and down as she angrily strides towards him. 

 

He shrugs his shoulders at her and pulls his phone out of his pocket. "A lot, unfortunately." he looks down at his phone's screen and makes himself busy with his phone.

 

Her foot taps impatiently as she stares down at him with anger in her steel blue eyes,

She opens her mouth to speak but her mouth closes in defeat, "Yeah well I'm not one of those things anymore, Dan. You don't get to be an ass to me since you decided to be a raging dick to me."

 

She was drunk. He could tell.

 

"I take it Mr. French doesn't like the Mrs. to be drinking at public events." he takes in her appearance up and down and smiles to himself when she simply rolls her eyes.

 

She's wearing a floor-length black dress with sheer cutouts adorning the sides and her curly brunette hair somewhat help softens the look of annoyance on her face.

 

"Just..leave me alone, Dan." she holds a hand up and crosses over to the skyline balcony. 

 

Not wanting to pick a fight with her, he stays seated as he watches her take a few deep breathes and turns around to leans against the railing with closed eyes. 

 

A moment of silence falls through the air as he watches her try to relax.

 

"I thought you were leaving." he looks down at his phone screen as it buzzes with notifications. 

 

Her eyes open and she puckers her lips, "Wouldn't you enjoy that." she crosses her arms and turns her body from him.

 

"Not exactly, no." he shrugs his shoulders as he stands up from the lounge chair and joins her at the balcony. 

 

His try at sincerity isn't enough to make her talk though, he knows she'll need a bit more coaxing into actually have a conversation with him. 

 

He nudges her gently,  "Come on..tell me what's wrong." he tries again, "I don't like seeing you like this."

 

She looks into his eyes for a brief moment and he sees the doubtful look flare upon her face. 

 

"You're not exactly known for your advice on relationships, Dan." he watches as her body caves into the cold weather and she hugs herself for warmth. 

 

He nods along at that, "Fair point." he removes his suit jacket and slides it onto her shoulders without hesitation.

 

When she opens her mouth to protest he holds a hand up in defense.

 

"I don't need you dying of Hypothermia, Amy." 

 

She gives him a weak scowl and begins to stride away from him towards the empty indoor conservatory. He watches as she snuggles into the jacket and bites the inside of her cheek as he walks right next to her. 

 

The music from the party drones on and on in the background as they find comfort in the silent glass building the moment Amy shuts the door behind herself. 

 

"I'm a fucking terrible person." she groans out as she hits her head against the glass doors. 

 

His eyebrows perked up at that, "Funny. I thought I was the world champion at that title." he tries to lighten the mood but only makes her wince. 

 

"You  _are_ but, I sai-" 

 

"Well you didn't have to agree to it  _that_ fa-" he retorts as he cuts her off

 

"I don't know if I want to get married anymore," she admits. 

* * *

 

"Daddy!" Brynn drops Amy's hand and makes a beeline towards Dan who bends down with his arms wide open. 

 

He smiles brightly as his daughter jumps into his arms and he lifts her off the ground.

 

It had been a while since he had seen Brynn in person and he was absolutely gobsmacked at how much she had grown in the past few weeks.

 

Her champagne colored hair inched past her shoulders while her baby blue eyes were beautifully round and her small nose replicated her mother's to a perfect tee. 

 

She was  _adorable._

 

The noise of the lobby drones on in the background as he places a kiss on the crown of his daughter's head.

 

"I'm happy you made it, Princess." he strokes her hair, "Are you excited for your birthday week with me?" his eyebrow shoots up in question.

 

The child nods and laughs in perfect harmony to Dan's ears, "Nonna told me that you had a surprise for me." 

 

He stands at that and presses a finger to her small nose, "I have a few tricks up my sleeve for you." he stands to his feet from his squatting position.

 

The girl beams at that as they begin making their way towards the elevators. 

 

"Brynn." Amy struts past him and approaches their child, "I told you not to run, you could've gotten hurt." she scolds through gritted teeth which is enough for the child to roll her eyes and look away.

 

A small part of him finds the move Brynn pulls a tad bit disrespectful but an even bigger part of him has a feeling that it's all just the jet-lag taking over her body.

 

So, he clears his throat and presses the elevator button. 

 

"Ames...you look..well." he offers to Amy who looks up from her phone. 

 

"Thank you." a confused look flashes in her jewel like eyes and she proptly returns her eyes to her phone. 

And that's all they say to one another for a few minutes, that is until they finally get to his apartment and Dan suggests they get comfortable while he orders them a pizza for dinner. 

Then Amy says something that manages to piss him off even more. 

"What do you mean you're not staying here?" 

* * *

 "I got a hotel down the street." she repeats herself.

 

She watches as Dan blinks his eyes at her a few times and he leaves his phone on the counter to inch towards her. 

 

"I thought you were staying here. You and Brynn." he narrows his eyes at her and she takes a step back; not falling under his gaze.

 

"I can't." she cuts off his speaking, "I have a lot of work to do and it'll be easier to just work from the hotel since it's close to everywhere I'm going." she speaks with her hands. 

 

He turns around to see Brynn sitting on the couch with a scrunched up face as she angrily plays with her dolls.

 

"I know that space isn't the issue here, Ames." he waves his hands around the massive penthouse, "I have a spare office, two guests rooms and whatever the hell else you might possibly need" he puts a hand on his chest. 

 

All of that might be true, honestly.

 

From the size of place and the articles she saw online, she knew that the penthouse had five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a master kitchen and two offices (not to mention the Hair and Nail salon in the lobby).

 

As relaxing and luxurious as all of that seemed though, she needed an escape from her life so, the Hotel was the only option.

 

"Look. You've been begging and begging to spend time with her and now you have her all to yourself for a full week. So enjoy it." she turns to grab her luggage but Dan pulls it away from her. 

 

Her nostrils begin to flare but then out of the corner of her eye she sees Brynn staring at them in a way that suggests she'll have a meltdown if they begin arguing. 

 

"Give me my suitcase." Amy calms herself down. 

 

He pulls the suitcase behind her in a quick move and clears his throat, "After we have dinner; as a family." he crossed his arms over his chest defiantly.

The move infuritates Amy.

 

Who the fuck did he think he was?

 

She hated it when men tried to get all weird and dominant with her, especially when she already had her mind set on what she was going to do.

She was a grown ass woman with a mind of her own and didn't need any help with living her life. 

 

"My car is waiting for me." she beckons a hand towards the front door, "I need to go." she reaches out for her suitcase but Dan wheels it further away from her. 

 

"I can drive you." he puts a hand on his chest like it's obvious, "Now stop coming up with excuses to leave and go help Brynn unpack her suitcase." he beckons a hand towards Brynn who stares at them with her wide, jewel like eyes.

 

Maybe because it involves Brynn and it's a way to leave Dan for a few minutes, she goes with Brynn to her bedroom to help her unpack like she's told.

 

She takes time to take in the penthouse though.

 

Make no mistake about Dan; he comes from a family with great style.

 

With Sally as his mom, it made sense that his penthouse had a modern twist with a materialistic edge with his glass tables, Italian artwork adorning the walls and the types of rugs that Queens and Kings would beg for. 

 

But when they make it to Brynn's room, she feels her heart...grow in a way.

 

There was no way Dan decorated all of this by himself.

 

A perfect little girl's room with soft pink carpeting, crisp green walls and furniture fit for a mini sized princess? 

 

Unless Dan had an Interior Designer clawing to make his way out of his body, this was obviously a job well done by Sally Egan.

 

And it doesn't help that Brynn is in love with her bedroom and begins to burble in excitement over the 'totally awesome room that Daddy made for her'.

 

Naturally, she tries to focus on helping Brynn unpack her luggage and placing her clothes into the illustrious silver drawers that are lined against the walls but Brynn's curiosity takes over. 

 

"Why don't you wanna stay with Daddy and I?" her thin eyebrows arch at Amy as she places her assortment of socks in a bin on her bed. 

 

Amy clears her throat as she unties her baby blue coat and discards it on the single chair near her. 

 

"I have work to do, Brynn." she clears her throat, "It'll be easier to work from there." she grabs Brynn's small suitcase and places it on the ground.

The small girl pouts, "So you don't wanna spend time with me on my birthday then?" she picks at the material of her leggings with her eyes down. 

 

"It's complicated, honey" she shakes her head "I have a lot to do and unfortunately I can't hang out with you all week."

 

"I bet if I was Claire you'd hang out with me." Brynn grumbles underneath her breath and throws herself onto her bed.

 

And here she went again.

 

Brynn and her unprovoked temper tantrums coming in swinging as always.

 

 _"Brynn."_  Amy narrows her eyes at her child, "Be nice about your sister. She's only a baby and needs more attention than you think." she tries but Brynn releases a groan. 

 

"She's so annoying." Brynn's small chest heaves up and down, "Every five minutes she's either crying or screaming or just being annoying. I hate her."

 

And that's what makes Amy feel like a shitty parent.

 

When she was pregnant with Claire, she figured Brynn would be estatic at the fact of having a younger sister to grow up with (since Brandon would strictly stay with Dan and his mom) but, her hope proved wrong. 

 

She tried to evenly distribute the attention from Brynn to Claire on a consistent basis but it was harder since work was crazy and both girls proved to be a tad bit high maintenince.

 

"You were like that growing up, Missy." Dan enters the room with a gold box nestled in his hands. 

 

God, did he have to be everywhere?

 

"Is that my present?" the girl's jewel-like eyes widen as Dan inches closer towards her.

 

While the two of them fall into a conversation with one another, Amy takes the opportunity to stand up and retrieve her items and exit the bedroom. 

 

It was apparent that her presence wasn't needed and she was too tired to stick around to act as her daughter's punching bag of anger. 

Lord knows she played that role almost everyday.

 

A small inch of her wants to stay and spend time with Brynn (despite Dan being there) but, an even bigger inch of her wants to check into her hotel, take a relaxing bath and soak her sorrows in the hot water and a few glasses of wine.

 

And that's exactly what she does. 

* * *

Hearing that Amy didn't might possibly  _didn't_  want to get married was one of the best things he had heard in a long time.

 

He already knew that she might've gotten cold feet from the wedding but, to hear this was all the confirmation he needed to know that she needed saving. 

 

Sure, she had a kid with someone else and he did as well but, they weren't an ordinary pair.

And isn't it more interesting that way?

 

There isn't much excitement though, due to Amy's rambling and ranting of panic as she paces back and forth in front of him. 

 

"From the dresses to the rings to the venues...to even the goddamn flowers. I've been looking at fucking flowers for the past few months and I'm losing my goddamn mind." her hands ball into fists near her head. 

 

He laughs to himself which prompts Amy to scowl at him dangerously mid-rant and face him square on. 

 

"What the fuck is so funny?" her eyes close in on him. 

 

He waves a finger around the flowers surrounding the conservatory, "You didn't happen to notice the flowers in here, did you?" 

 

And she goes pale at that.

 

It's like that one comment (that was supposed to clear the tension in the air) manages to suck all of the energy and life out of Amy in one instant. 

 

He's expecting her to scream and begin going apeshit on the poor flowers but he's in shock when she falls into a fit of bursting, maniacal laughter.

 

It makes her sound borderline insane in complete honesty.

 

The way her shoulders bounce up and down and the way her body convulses is enough to get him off the bench and make his way towards her.

 

"You're gonna give yourself a panic attack," he warns her.

 

She jerks her body away from him and continues to laugh, "Oh please." she hiccups out, "You really expect me to think you give a shit?"

 

He inches towards her cautiously, "I do give a shit and you know that."

 

She laughs in his face comically, "Oh give me a break, you love seeing me lose my shit. It makes you believe for a brief second that you're actually better than me." she accuses him. 

 

This was the last thing he wanted to do

. 

Arguing with Amy, while drunk wasn't something he was fond of, especially since it wouldn't end with them hate fucking at the end of the night. 

 

And since that didn't look like the end of the night, he really didn't want to spend the night of his mother's wedding arguing with her tooth and nail over petty shit. 

 

"That's it. I'm taking you back to the hotel." he throws his hands in defeat and lifts her body off the ground as she pouts like a child.

 

"I'm fine, Dan." her shoulders square up defensively, "Just give me a minute." she waves a hand dismissively but he ignores her as he pulls her onto her feet. 

 

He knows better though. 

 

Despite her best efforts to shake him off of her, he manages to escort her safely out of the reception and directly into a car service. 

 

And the look she gives him when he tells the driver his hotel is priceless.

 

Lucky for him, she falls asleep on the ride there. 

* * *

 

It's official. 

 

She is a full fleged wine mom. 

 

Okay, maybe not as extreme as her mother might be. But, she's getting there slowly yet (unfortunately for her) surely.

 

She was never really a hard drinker though. While yes, in college there were the occasional nights when she probably had a few too many Vodka Soda's for her liking or Tequila shots.

 

It usually took a few drinks for her to go a tad bit slack.

 

But two kids later, she found herself hungover with a headache the size of the Phillippines after a night of drinking with a few friends from college.

 

God, getting older sucked. 

 

And it's not like she can just relax in her hotel room all day to heal; not while it's Brynn's birthday week at least. 

 

Dan was already busting her ass for not staying with him that he guilttripped her over text to at least join them for the week of festivities for Brynn. 

 

He claimed that by both of them being present with Brynn during a special week for her, 'she would feel like a normal kid with two loving parents once again'.

 

Translation: "It'll be good for my image and ratings to be seen with you and our teen pregnancy child, out and about spending money on overpriced gifts for her."

 

Either it's her realizing that Dan's actual motivies proved to be a tad bit smart or Brynn being is the reasoning behind her rolling out of bed, much to her better judgement. 

 

She takes a steaming shower, brushes her teeth, paints her face with light makeup and even goes as far as sliding on a pair of nice jeans and a cream Cashmere sweater.

 

She figures she looks nice (the Cashmere sweater boosts her overall outer stability by a million) but it's not until she meets with Dan and Brynn and it's all shattered.

* * *

 "Long night, huh?" Dan gestures towards Amy's sunglasses.

 

Her steely blue eyes leer over the frame of her sunglaases with an unimpressed glare, "What I do doesn't concern you, Dan." she retorts in a defensive tone. 

 

They walk behind Brynn who speaks to the sales representative Dan had hired for the day to keep Brynn entertained while him and Amy had a chance to talk.

 

"Look. I'm not the one hungover with sunglasses on in the 'American Girl' store." he softly chuckles

 

Her fists balled as she crosses her arms, "I just...I met with a few friends from school for drinks." she confesses. 

 

He grins at that, "Mom's night out on the town, huh?" he teases her as his hands find their way into his pockets. 

 

She makes a muffled noise as Brynn picks up a doll and drops it into the basket the manager carries.

 

"Something like that." her nose crinkles and he's had enough of it. 

 

Had he wanted to deal with Amy and her 'attitude' then he would've picked a fight with her ages ago but, he was trying his hardest to be neutral during the week.

 

At this point it would be easier to discuss a trade agreement with the fucking USA and North Korea, considering how difficult she's deciding to be with him. 

 

"Are you seriously trying to argue with me in a doll store on our daughter's birthday?" he pulls her to the side and gives her a tight-lipped grin. 

 

She snorts at him, "And are you seriously trying to question me about what it is _I_  do with my free time?" 

 

If she gets any louder than Brynn (or worse, a stranger) could overhear their bickering and the image of a united, strong family goes completely out of the window. 

 

"I wouldn't have to break the ice if you would stop acting so damn cold to me." he puts a hand on his chest and whispers.

 

With a swift move, she removes her sunglasses and narrows her eyes at him. 

 

"Funny, who came up with that. Your team of writers?" she tilts her head to side with crossed arms. 

 

Before he opens his mouth again, he sees that Brynn is still distracted by the clothing selection for the dolls (Which he applauds himself for, he figured that she would need some distracting while he and Amy dealt with one another). 

 

 _"Something like that."_ he imitates her with a snarky tone and takes a deep breath to calm himself down. "Listen, I only have today and tomorrow left to spend with Brynn and I'd like to enjoy that. So would you mind losing the attitude and putting on a happy face for the next few hours?".

 

Her eyes flash dangerously at him; from the way she scowls at him, he can tell that she is ready to unleash the feminism whip on him.

 

He's relieved when he notices her jaw tighten as she plasters on a gritted smile, "Fine. For Brynn." she reminds him with a stern tone.

"For Brynn." 

* * *

 She wakes up in a warm, luxurious bed a few hours after the wedding (or was it the reception?) ended.

 

The last thing she remembered was arguing about Ryan over god knows what, arguing with Dan about (again) god knows what, and heading back to her hotel. 

 

But..this doesn't look like the suite at the hotel that she and Ryan had booked.

 

Then Dan walks in, and everything starts to make sense.

 

"What am I doing here?" she clutches her forehead as she closes her eyes and tries to make sense of what's happening.

 

Dan sighs and runs a hand through his hair as he bends down and grabs water from the mini fridge. 

 

"You had a Jessie Spano meltdown over flowers and I got you out of there before you could embarrass yourself." he winks at her as he hands her the water bottle and she takes it graciously. 

 

She freezes. 

 

"Fuck." she covers her face, "Please tell me I was alone in the bathroom." her face scrunches. 

 

She watches as he sits down on the opposing side of the bed and begins to undo his tie, "It was just me there..no need for you to worry about dying of embarrassment.".

 

Easy for him to fucking say. 

 

The way that the memories from earlier begin to roll in, it's hard to stop her cheeks from flaring up in embarrassment from her meltdown.

 

"Why are you doing this?" she keeps her eyes on her hands, "It's not like I needed saving or anything." 

He reaches out and pats her hand that rests on her thigh, "You _know_ why I'm doing this."

 

She shakes her head, "No, Dan." she pauses, "I honestly can't imagine why you would do this."

 

 He folds his arms over his chest and sighs, "Can't you just accept the fact that I'm trying to help you once again." 

 

And for a slight moment, when she looks in his eyes, she sees that same vulnerable look he gave her ages ago when he offered her to stay with him after she got kicked out of her own house.

 

"Alright fine." she gives up, "For once in your life you decided to do something selfless, why should I be impressed?"

 

His chest heaves up and down, "You need a hot, relaxing shower." he ignores her.

 

Her cheeks flared up in blush as she keeps her eyes down on her hands. 

 

"I'm not showering with you and I have no clothes."

 

"Do you want to have sex, Amy?" he angrily turns to her, "Because that seems to be all that's on your mind."

 

"No." she shakes her head furiously. "It's just that..it's been a long fucking night, okay?"

 

"Yeah, you're telling me." he removes himself from the bed and turns away, "Just...take a shower and I'll give you a shirt to wear." he gives a dismissive wave of his hand.

 

She knows exactly what his intentions are.

 

For them to have sex just so he can jeopardize she and Ryan's relationship.

 

Part of her wants to call Ryan and ask him to pick her up but, she knows it'll be no use since their hotel is way uptown and according to the hotel booklet, Dan's is downtown. 

 

But, the other part of her just wants to be alone.

 

Kick Dan out of his own damn hotel room, take a hot bath and sleep in the comfortable bed until she was ready to come out and face the music. 

She knows him well enough to know that he'll never agree to that.

 

Luckily for her though, she kicks him out so she can lock herself in the bathroom and take a hot steaming shower and work out her next move.

* * *

 Dan was desperate.

 

His show was due to begin their live taping in about two hours and he was running late.

 

Not to mention the fact that his babysitter called in sick and fucking Brooke pulled a drop-in to drop Brandon off with him without warning.

So here he was, with his daughter and screaming toddler son.

 

Fucking hell, when did this become his life?

 

So, desperate times call for desperate measures. 

 

"You called.. _several times."_ Amy squints at him as he opens the door and ushers her in. 

 

He sighs as he pulls on the collar of his shirt, "Yeah..I'm in a situation right now."

 

She fixes for black turtleneck, "That would explain your chest heaving up and down like you're suffocating." she eyes him with suspiciously, "Not to mention the fact it looks like you're going to explode." 

 

He opens his mouth to speak but a shrill cry comes from down the hall.

 

Hopefully she keeps insulting him to not notice it.

 

"Was that a baby?" she turns towards the hallway.

 

Fuck, she noticed. 

 

He combs a hand through his hair, "Look. I'm strained for time right now, my driver is waiting for me downstairs and I need a favor." 

She raises her chin in confusion. 

 

"You're speaking in cliffhangers." she rolls her eyes as he cracks his knuckles.

 

It's not like he wanted to call Amy. 

 

His Mom was in California, Ben was a few hours away with his girlfriend and work was too busy for someone to actually watch the kids.

 

And there was no way in hell he would put the responsibility of Brandon and Brynn in Brooke's care.

 

So, Amy was the best choice.

 

Then Brynn comes out of her room, "Dad! I tried to make Brandon stop crying but he won't stop." she approaches him. 

 

Fuck.

 

Then he sees Amy's face scrunch up in confusion, "What is she talking about, Dan." 

 

He holds a hand up and address Brynn, "I know honey, give me a few minutes and I'll handle it. Just go back to your room for a second, okay?" he puts a hand on her back and directs her back down the hall.

 

When Brynn is out of sight, Amy throws her hands in the air. 

 

"Dan. What is happening around here?" she puts her hands on her hips defiantly. 

 

He bites his bottom lip and hangs his head down for a minute.

 

"Brooke dropped Brandon off today without warning and since you were coming to pick up Brynn, I was wondering if you could..."

 

"No." 

 

"Amy-"

 

"I'm not a fucking babysitter Dan, I'm not going to babysit your son." she states in a mocking tone which is enough to stress Dan out even more.

Between his phone buzzing non-stop to Brandon's crying, he doesn't know how he's remaining sane right about now.

 

"Amy, please." he pleads her, "It'll just be for a few hours and I swear nothing else." 

 

There's a split second of her searching in his face for something; probably to see if he's lying.

 

And he honestly can't blame her.

 

But right about now, he just needs her to say yes so he can get to work before his producers kill him.

 

"So i'm supposed to play house with a kid that's not even mine while you go be super-dad?" she scoffs at him

 

He shakes his head, "Amy. Please work with me here." he talks with his hands. 

 

She pauses for a minute when Brandon releases a loud sob. 

 

"If it's not for me, then do it for the kids. Please." he reaches out to squeeze her hand and she sighs. 

 

She pauses at that and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. 

 

"Fine." she crosses her arms and keeps her eyes down.

 

He opens her mouth to thank her but she pushes past him and down the hall. 

 

"I'm only doing this for the kids. Don't let your depressed dad hormones think or believe otherwise." she gives him a stern look and ignores it as he pumps the air with his fist. 

 

"You're a lifesaver, Ames." he touches his chest and scrambles around the living room retrieving his objects. 

 

"Rot in hell, Dan." she rolls her eyes and inches away from him and down the hallway. 

 

"There's food in the fridge, and everything the kids need in their rooms. Just..call my assistant or text me if you need anything." he stumbles over his words as he makes his way out of the front door.

 

Hopefully she doesn't kill him when he comes back?

* * *

 Why the fuck was Dan so goddamn dramatic?

 

When he was leaving he made it seem like Brandon had fucking Ebola when all the baby needed was a clean diaper and to be held by someone who was mentally and emotionally stable.

 

It took her a good twenty minutes to calm down the screaming baby.

 

Fuck, why did she agree to this again?

 

Oh yeah, because she didn't want her daughter to be watched by a complete and utter stranger who probably had tits the size of Mount Rushmore and an IQ of a fruit fly.

 

And that's how she got stuck taking care of Dan's son.

 

She wants to be angry at herself (and god fucking dammit she is) because this isn't her. 

 

She never babysat kids growing up?

 

Not to mention the fact that she never wanted kids (and so conveinetly got pregnant when she was eighteen) and literally _just_ started tolerating them since she had them.

 

So why the fuck was she taking care of her baby daddy's son?

 

It probably had something to do with that desperate look in his eyes. 

 

She had never known him to be the desperate, pleading type. So, to see him practically (almost) on all fours begging for him to do this one favor for him.

 

Honestly, she felt bad about the whole predicament he had found himself into.

 

But, it felt good to have a tad bit of power over him like he usually does. 

 

To know that his life isn't as miraculous and amazing as he tries to make it seem to the whole world was qute enjoyable.

 

"I lost my necklace." Brynn throws the couches pillows across the room with a scrunched face. 

 

Amy places Brandon in his high chair, "Why are you throwing the pillows and making a mess?" 

 

She rolls her eyes in annoyance, "To find my necklace." she continues to peel apart the leather couch by it's decorative pillows. 

 

"Brynn." Amy brings her voice up an octave (it was her 'Mommy's trying to not lose control voice') "We looked all over the place and we couldn't find it." she twists and turns around the kitchen to locate the baby food.

 

The girl groans dramatically, "That's why I'm _looking_ for it." and throws a pillow over her shoulder. 

 

She finds a jar of Sweet Potato blended with god knows what and serves it in a bowl to the kid (who seems to be happy with whatever).

 

If the baby didn't have Dan's fucking face then she definitely would've questioned this kids parentage because there's no way that a baby from Dan Egan's sperm would be so voluntarily happy without a motive behind it. 

 

Luckily, the kid is eager to eat the food and that keeps him busy.

 

"If you lost it then we can get you another one later." she inches her way towards Brynn who sits on her knees on the floor. 

 

Brynn groans and runs a hand through her hair, "But that necklace is special." she faces Amy, "And you gave it to me."

 

It's not like she wanted to give Brynn her Tiffany's necklace. 

 

Back home a few weeks ago, the girl was sad about Dan not being there for whatever reason he had going on that prevented him from being home and Amy had given her the necklace to bring her spirits up.

 

"Well we won't be able to find it in this mess you've made with the pillows." she states in a reasonable voice to the young girl who just sighs. 

 

Then the doorbell rings.

 

"Clean up this mess before your Dad sees this, please." she puts a hand on Brynn's back and directs her to cleaning up the heap of pillows on the ground.

 

She heaves herself towards the door as she watches Brynn begin to rearrange the pillows on the leather couch.

 

See? He was so fucking dramatic that he was literally only gone for a good thirty minutes and he had made it seem like a lifetime.

 

She opens the door to tell her that but she's met with someone else.

 

"Hello, Amy." Brooke's lips fall into a trained smile.

 

What the fuck?

 

She clears her throat, "Brooke." she greets with a sharp tongue.

 

She throws her brunette hair behind her back and purses one hip out.

 

"Is Dan here? I have something for him." she bites her bottom lip and gives Amy a stare up and down. 

 

She turns around and watches as Brynn continues to clean up the pillows and the couches.

 

"Unfortunately he's not here." she gives her a look like it's obvious, "So maybe you can call him or something." she tries to close the door but she keeps the door open. 

 

Brooke peers past Amy's shoulder and smirks to herself, "So he's having you take care of Brandon." she nods enjoying herself, "Glad to know he gives a shit about his kids." she sardonically comments which prompts Amy to pause for a moment.

 

She crosses her arms and leans against the door, "He had to go to work." she quickly rertorts (And Jesus Christ, _Why_ is she defending Dan Egan)

"What and he can't phone in a Nanny that he'll screw later?" she shrugs her shoulders.

 

God, can she just go?

 

Her plastic surgery was sucking all of the air out of the room.

 

"Guess he didn't think of that." Amy grits her teeth and takes a hold of the doorknob, "Goodbye, Brooke."

 

She tries to slam the door in her face (Because this whole thing was starting to get ridiculous ) but Brooke's strong grip stops the door again which prompts Brynn to join them.

 

"Hello Brynn, Sweetie." Brooke bends down and tries to tap the child's nose with her finger but she jolts and clings onto Amy's body.

 

 

Like mother, like daughter.

 

"Hi.." Brynn looks the older woman up and down in disgust.

 

"Are you having fun with your brother?" she looks at Amy in the eye when she says the last word of the sentence. 

 

Brynn shakes her head, "I would but, I don't know him that well since you don't let Daddy and I see him that much." 

 

And she's never been prouder of Brynn's bluntness. 

 

Brooke awkwardly laughs, "That's because you live with your Mom far away from your Dad, Sweetie."

 

Amy grits her teeth and straightens her posture, "Don't call her that." she speaks in a slow tone defensively.

 

Brooke pauses for a minute and takes a deep breath, "Well...I would wait for him to get off work but lord knows who-I mean _what_ he'll get caught up in." she rubs her hands on the side of her pants.

 

"Or you could just get the hell out of here." she shakes her head in disgust and begins to back away from leaning against the door.

 

Brooke looks at Brynn and gives the child a sweet smile, "I think I found something you might like." she points at Brynn. 

 

The blonde child's eyebrows arch in confusion, "What?"

 

Amy watches as Brooke dips a hand into her bra and pulls out that damn Tiffany's necklace. 

 

She hands it to Amy whose too shock to respond, "He gave it to me after we had a _talk_ and I decided to return it since I got what I needed from him." she gives a teasing grin directed to Amy.

 

"Thanks for watching Brandon." she winks at Amy and takes off down the hallway leaving Amy and Brynn in the doorway feeling like the biggest idiots in the world (Well, just Amy).

 

Her hands slam the door shut and she turns to see Brynn's eyes welling up with tears. 

 

"That's my necklace isn't it?" Brynn keeps her eyes on the ground. 

 

Fuck Brooke, fuck Dan and fuck everything. 

 

She puts the necklace on the counter and bends down to talk to her, "I'm sorry you had to see that, honey." she tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear.

 

Then the girl falls into a puddle of tears and heavy breaths which is enough to break Amy's heart and have her question every single decision she had made in the past week.

 

How could she raise her child with this man?

 

Could she raise her child with him?

 


	2. Tell Your Heart to Beat Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Will I see Daddy again?" Brynn tries
> 
> And Amy's silence is what tears him apart.
> 
> He deserves to see his daughter whenever and wherever he fucking wants.
> 
> And the fact that this Ryan prick gets the privilege of seeing his girls when he can't pissed him off eternally.
> 
> That bastard didn't know how fucking lucky he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Before you begin reading this chapter, please note that I am alerting a trigger warning on this chapter for a few unsettling, graphic scenes. ]
> 
> Thank you to those of you who have been reading this story and leaving comments and or kudos! I tried to incorporate as many of you guys' requests as I possibly could in this chapter.

The tapings go great.

 

Not that he was expecting any less- especially with the talent he managed to pull for the show.

 

In just one day, he filmed an interview with Eileen Meyers (Strategist of the current Hughes administration), Jeff Dean (advisor and lead of Google.ai) and Mark goddamn Zuckerberg (that one fucking nerd who made Facebook).

 

He leaves the studio with his head held high, chest stuck out like he's goddamn Superman and is smilings so hard he even fist pumps the air in excitement the minute he's alone in the car and makes his way back home. 

 

He's in such a good mood that he decides to stop by the store to pick up a few pastries and an expensive bottle of Champagne for Amy (she couldn't be mad at him for too long if he brought her a nice bottle of Champagne).

 

God, it felt good to be on top.

 

Especially when there were rumors of him securing an Emmy nomination for the first season of the show. 

 

Not to get ahead of himself or anything but he already had an idea of what he'd be wearing to the ceremony if he did happen to clutch a nomination for the show. 

 

Maybe he could convince Amy to be his date for the night?

 

Her on one arm, a golden statue proving how outstanding him and his television work is in the other hand-seemed like the perfect match for him.

 

But, unless Ryan decided to drop dead overnight, he knew there would be no one way in hell that she would voluntarily go on a trip with him on a night where his ego could be boosted by a million.

 

Ugh, Ryan. 

 

He still hadn't met Amy's chew-toy. 

 

Part of him wants to meet the guy who was charming enough to make Amy fall for him long enough to get pregnant and engaged all within a year but, an even bigger part of him wants to sniff out the guy and check up on every single thing the man had ever done in his life. 

 

There was no way in hell he wanted his daughter around a man he had never met without a foolproof FBI background check on that guy. 

 

Whatever.

 

He wasn't about to let Amy's little boyfriend get him all riled and jealous (Especially after the day he's having).

 

Especially not when he was about to walk into his penthouse where Amy was probably hell-bent on ripping him a new one since he asked her to babysit the kids last minute. 

 

He wants to imagine that over the past few hours she's been able to calm down but, when he enters the door of his Penthouse and is met with silence, he doesn't know what to think.

 

He looks around the main loft in confusion as he places the grocery bag on the marble counter and takes a minute to pull out a few flutes from the cabinet to get started on the drinks.

 

Then he hears a small sob coming from down the hallway and he's at alert. 

 

Maybe it was too much?

 

Asking her to take care of not only their kid but _his_ kid as well during _her_ vacation...

 

He knew she was pissed about it but he didn't imagine that she'd start sobbing over it for christ's sakes.

 

Then he gets to Brynn's room and sees what's happening. 

 

Brynn sobbing her eyes out with Amy holding her close and a pained look on her face.

 

He feels something...weird happen to his heart and he has the overwhelming urge to go over to his daughter and comfort her much like Amy's doing but the way Amy's jaw hinges when she notices him..hints at danger. 

 

He looks around the room and is startled to see Brynn's suitcase wide open with clothes scattered all over the floor and bed.

 

And Amy notices the confusion in his eyes when she sees the gears churning in his head. 

 

"Keep packing, I'm gonna talk to your Dad for a minute." she places a kiss on the child's head and stands up from the bed. 

 

Brynn slowly nods and refuses to meet his eye when he beckons a greeting and wave towards her.

 

He stands in the doorway for a brief moment to get a good luck at why his daughter is practically bawling her eyes out when he feels a force pushing him backward, stumbling into the hallway.

 

He catches himself before he can hit the wall and gives Amy a confused look as she shuts the door behind her and pushes him into the loft without a beat missed. 

 

"You _almost_ had me fooled." she shakes her head defiantly at him as he straightens himself out. 

 

What was she talking about?

 

"Ames, what are you talking about?" he holds his hands in the air as he takes a step away from her. 

 

She shakes her head and bites her bottom lip, "Do you know how heartbroken Brynn is?" she angrily steps towards him and he finds himself stepping away for caution, "I can expect that shit to happen to me but _she_ shouldn't have to." she points a finger in the direction of Brynn's room. 

 

He reaches out and grabs her wrists to balance her, " _Amy."_ his voice goes stern, "I've been filming all day, believe me when I say I genuinely have no idea what it is you are talking about." he tries to reason with her. 

 

And for a brief moment, he sees in her eyes..the way she wants to believe him, the look of love she only reserves for those she genuinely cares about. 

 

But the second she blinks, the look leaves her eyes and her blue orbs are filled with anger and disgust.

 

"You gave Brooke Brynn's necklace didn't you?" she jolts away from his touch and uses a shockingly calm voice. 

 

As if he wasn't already confused, that's what brings him into the depth of feeling like a fucking idiot. 

 

"Brooke? What the hell does she have to do with anything?"

 

"Apparently everything." she turns away from him and takes a deep breath, "She came by practically bragging about you guy's sexcapades in front of Brynn with _her_ necklace on." 

 

He goes still at that.

 

Okay, so he and Brooke did have sex not too long ago and..he doesn't want to lie about that.

 

But, one thing he would never do is purposely hurt Brynn for someone else.

 

Did he give Brooke the necklace?

 

Fuck no.

 

But does he think she stole it from him?

 

Absolutely yes.

 

He had an idea of who it was he was laying down with every single time they had sex and while it did turn him on at times-he wasn't about to let that ruin his relationship with Amy and Brynn.

 

She laughs directly in his face, "You can't even lie to say that you didn't." she shakes her head and combs a hand through her blonde locks. 

 

"Yes, we had sex but no I would _never_ give her that necklace." he follows her as she strides away from him and across the loft. 

 

And the look of hurt that flashes over her face when he confirms that they indeed had sex is enough to make him feel guilty all over. 

 

She simply blinks her eyes and looks up at him,

 

"All Brynn wanted for the past few weeks is you." she points at him with a stern finger, "She cries for you at night, goes on and on to people about you and has been waiting tooth and nail to even talk to you about whatever the hell it is she saw on her school field trip a month or two ago." she throws her hands up in the air. 

 

"And you _hurt_ her, Dan." she pauses for a moment to let her words sink into his skull, "You scarred her for life and she thinks that you prefer some Brunette bimbo over her." he sees the tears start to brim in her eyes. 

 

"I wouldn't even consider that." he hears the offense in his voice

 

"Well, that's what she thinks." she folds her arms over her chest, "And I don't blame her." she turns away from him and goes towards Brynn's door.

 

He goes after her so he can actually calm her down and actually have a conversation. If he's learned anything from their past it's that nothing gets resolved when they're up and arguing with one another versus them sitting down and talking things out.

 

Then, Brandon starts crying. 

 

And this day couldn't have gotten any fucking worse.

 

Between Brandon crying and knowing that Amy's packing Brynn up to leave he's torn on what room to go towards first.

 

So, he decides to handle Brandon first (But as quickly and promptly as possible).

 

And luckily for him, the kid just wants to be freed from his crib to roam his floor.

 

He watches the kid for a moment and he hears Amy's voice down the hallway as she talks to Brynn.

 

"I just wanna go _home,_ Mom," Brynn says with her throat clenching mid-conversation.

 

"I know, baby. But we can't leave until tomorrow," she says sadly and he can practically see Amy tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

 

"I want Nonna..and Uncle Ben..and Claire..and _Ryan,"_ she begs and that last name ticks him off.

 

"And you'll see them tomorrow when we get home, I promise." Amy's tone is caring and understanding, "Until then, say goodbye to your Dad and brother."

 

"Will I see Daddy again?" Brynn tries

 

And Amy's silence is what tears him apart.

 

He deserves to see his daughter whenever and wherever he fucking wants.

 

And the fact that this Ryan prick gets the privilege of seeing _his_ girls when he can't pissed him off eternally.

 

That bastard didn't know how fucking lucky he was. 

 

Amy was supposed to he _his_ fiancee and they were supposed to have a house in the Upper East Side of the city with their kids fulfilling the domestic fantasies they both secretly had but always were too embarrassed to tell anyone about. 

 

"As for right now, I don't know anymore." Amy gives an exhausted sigh and once he hears that he exits the nursery and closes the door behind him sharply. 

 

Brynn's eyes widen as she watches him approach her and Amy in the main loft. 

 

"Brynny." he simply says and lowers himself to the ground with a knee. 

 

Brynn sighs and keeps her eyes on her him as he takes a deep breath; trying to make sense of what it is she had seen earlier.

 

"I know that you're.. _confused."_ he starts off the minute Amy removes herself from the ground and makes busy with tying her coat around her body. 

 

"Why was Brooke wearing _my_ necklace?" she furiously demands. 

 

He's a bit taken aback and reaches out to hold her hands but she jolts away. 

 

"It was a mistake, she thought...it was _hers."_ he tries to reason but he notices Amy rolling her eyes from the corner of his eyesight.

 

"Well, it's not. It was Mommy's and now it's _mine."_  she stomps her foot; sealing in her point. 

 

He nods as he feels the wrath of his eight-year-old daughter unleashes on him.

 

"I understand that but, it was a mistake. We all make mistakes." he tries but the child remains unimpressed (Along with her mother).

 

 _"Ryan_ doesn't make mistakes." she shakes her head; not buying his sincerity for one moment. 

 

And that stings a tad bit harder than it should. 

 

He hangs his head in shame and tries to regather his thoughts. 

 

What could he possibly say to his eight-year-old daughter who practically hated his guts and already preferred her new step-father to him? 

 

"You're mad, I get it." he gives an understanding nod and pinches the bridge of his nose.

 

"We need to go." Amy speaks up with a stern tone, "Say goodbye, Brynn." she places a hand on the small of the child's back. 

 

The little girl sighs and gives Dan a light squeeze. 

 

"Goodbye, Daddy," she speaks with a hint of dryness to her usual, bright and beaming voice.

 

"Goodbye, Brynny." and the way the situation is going, it feels like he actually is saying goodbye. 

 

And fuck if this hasn't turned into the worst day ever. 

 

* * *

 

When she leaves the shower that evening, she sees that he's laid out one of his spare t-shirts for her on the master bed.

 

God, was she really doing this?

 

Standing naked in her ex-boyfriend's hotel room ready to put on one of his shirts after having an argument with her fiance' at a wedding?

 

The shirt stares intimidatingly at her and she sighs.

 

It's not like she was forced to be there, she could leave even have Ryan come and pick her up but, there was something about the comforting feeling of knowing that Dan was there.

 

Against her better judgment, she slides on the shirt and takes a seat on the bed.

 

There's so much she wants to do...pop open a bottle of wine, watch some trashy TV and go the fuck to sleep.

 

But her nerves are stumbling and bumbling all over the place inside of her stomach and it's impossible to calm down. 

 

Then the door swings open and there's Dan standing there with a bottle of water in one hand and crackers in the other.

 

"I figured you were done with your shower." he approaches her. 

 

She scoffs, "So you decided to come in and see my naked body?" she rolls her eyes

 

"Nothing I haven't seen before." he gives a nonchalant shrug and hands her the water bottle.

 

Not knowing what to say, she unscrews the cap of the bottle and takes a refreshing sip.

 

"Did the shower help at least?" he takes a seat on the opposing side of the bed.

 

She nods and runs a hand up and down her arm, "Somewhat. I like the hot water." her voice is small; much like a child's.

 

"Figures. Your showers always feel like hell's armpit." 

 

"Of course _you_ would know what that would feel like." she retorts sarcastically

 

And he laughs at that softly which makes her nervous all over again.

 

God, was this how it was going to be all night?

 

* * *

 

The minute she and Brynn pass the threshold of the door, she immediately is set at ease. 

 

All of the anger, anxiety, and hostility is lifted off her shoulders once she enters the warm atmosphere of her DC townhouse and there's no better feeling than being in her own environment. 

 

And seeing Ryan and Claire all adorable and domestic in the kitchen?

 

God was that a nice sight to see after the bullshit week she and Brynn had endured with Dan.

 

"There's my girls." Ryan beams at them warmly as they enter the kitchen with their luggage in tow. 

 

Amy crosses over to lift Claire into her arms and give her a few kisses as she watches Ryan lift Brynn into the air and squeeze her tight. 

 

There's a brief moment when they're done showering the girls with kisses and warm greetings when their eyes lock for a brief second and they break out into an infectious smile. 

 

"Hi." she breathes out as he inches towards her after he's settled Brynn on the ground and pulls her towards him gently.

 

"Hi." he tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear and sighs.

 

Swoon.

 

He leans in and places a soft, lingering kiss on her lips and it's enough to make her wish they were alone to fully enjoy the moment and one another.

 

But, that'll do for now.

 

They could always be hot and horny for one another later but now, she wanted to enjoy the moment with her family. As cliche as that may sound. 

 

"We missed you." he makes his way over to the counter and helps Brynn into the barstool seat. 

 

She distracts Claire with her shiny nails and takes a deep breath, "We missed you too.".

 

Ryan dimples at that as he pulls a juice box from the fridge and hands it to Brynn. 

 

"What about you, Brynn?" he leans over the counter with a warm smile, "Did you have a nice time in New York with your Dad?" 

 

The girl gives a small pout and shakes her head.

 

"It was...okay." she shrugs her small shoulders.

 

Ryan's eyebrow raises slightly, "Just okay?" he tries

 

She gives a small sigh, "Yeah..then Brooke showed up wearing _my_ necklace and..it made me really sad." 

 

He looks up from Brynn to give Amy a confused look and she nods her head in confirmation that this all transpired in the week they weren't home 

 

She settles into the seat next to Brynn at the counter with Claire in her lap and watches as Brynn begins to tune out with a depressing look on her face.

 

Jesus, it looked like her eight-year-old was turning into a manic depressant and she didn't need that in her life.

 

The concern in her eye must be noticeable enough since Ryan claps his hands together and smiles, "Well, are you too tired to open one more gift?" his eyebrow wiggle.

 

And that's what perks Brynn up.

 

"Yes." she jolts upright in the stool and turns to Amy.

 

"Why didn't you tell me you had another gift for me?" Brynn's eyes widen in surprise as she watches Ryan exit the room quickly; leaving the three of them alone. 

 

"This is all his present." Amy reminds Brynn as Claire interests herself with Amy's phone in her lap.

 

When he enters the room again, she notices the baby blue bag behind his back as he taps his fingernails on it. 

 

"Is that for me?" Brynn's eyes widen as Ryan drops the bag in front of her on the counter.

 

Ryan nods and gives Amy a subtle wink, "I know that you were really sad about your necklace being stolen....so, I figured it was time to get you a new one."

 

Before she can even react, Brynn's tiny hands fly to the baby blue bag to find the small box which she pops open the teal box.

 

Jesus. Another fucking Tiffany's necklace?

 

"This is for me?" Brynn blinks in confusion as she pulls the pendant out of the box.

 

Ryan nods and circles around the counter to join them on the opposing side, "Do you like it?" Amy asks getting a good look at the baby pink pendant with 

 

She nods enthusiastically and twists her body to give Ryan a big bear hug, "I _love_ it. Thank you, Ryan."

 

Happy with himself, Ryan rubs Brynn's back and places a kiss on the crown of her head. 

 

* * *

 

 

The day after the Meridian Ball she wakes up alone. 

 

And she shouldn't be surprised.

 

As fun as a time she and Ryan had, sometimes things just weren't supposed to happen like they were supposed to.

 

Usually, she would be all for her one-night stand leaving before she wakes up to avoid having that awkward, morning-after conversation once and for all but, part of her wanted to at least bid him a farewell since they did have a lovely evening together.

 

She had forgotten how good sex could feel like.

 

Between being on Mom-duty 24/7 and working, there wasn't much time for her to get to herself, especially to spend time with someone as handsome and charming as Ryan.

 

No lie, she missed it.

 

The way she could forget all of her problems in a span of twenty minutes and think about something other than Brynn and Dan and all that comes between the two.

 

So, once she notices that the bed in empty and Ryan's clothes are picked from the floor, she slides out of bed and takes her time in sliding on her silk robe and strolling around the apartment.

 

It had been a while since she had a peaceful morning in the apartment.

 

She forgot how amazing silence felt too at times.

 

Not all the time, just the times when she wanted to escape and bask in the calmness of the atmosphere every once in a while.

 

Deciding she needs coffee to help fuel her brain as she watches the news, she makes her way into the kitchen and is startled to see Ryan all in his glory, shirtless in her kitchen.

 

She jumps in surprise and he's taken aback from the small shriek she releases.

 

"Good morning to you too." he waves at her.

 

She holds her chest and takes a deep breath, " _Good..morning."_ she feels awkward with her silk robe on as her eyes linger over his shirtless body.

 

"Sorry if it seems like I left, I just needed to make a few phone calls before work got started."

 

Work. _Shit_

 

She snaps her fingers in realization, "Speaking of which, _I_ have to go to." she puts a hand on her chest, "This has been...really..fun." she waves a hand around awkwardly. 

 

He dimples at her as he takes a look at his phone, "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you." he waves a hand in the air, "Sloane went home with his ex-wife last night and he'll be in a good mood for a few hours." he inches towards her. 

 

Jesus, did she miss everything last night?

 

"Oh." her lips fall

 

"But, I can totally leave if you need me to." he puts a hand on his chest when they're face to face; him looking down on her and her looking up at him and biting her lip.

 

God, no. 

 

Please for the love of all that is holy, No.

 

"You don't have to if you don't want to." she shakes her head as he throws an arm around her waist.

 

"Good, cause I already ordered the food and I don't want to." he bites his bottom lip and she can practically feel her heart racing a million miles a minute. 

 

"Thank god, I didn't want to have to offer you 'Princess Charms' or whatever it is I have in my cabinet." she keeps her eyes down by he tilts her chin up so there eye to eye.

 

Luckily he laughs at that comment, "No worries, I'm all for trying new things." he winks at her and places a small kiss on her lips.

 

When he tries to pull away though, she isn't having any of it.

 

She pulls him back in for another kiss and next thing she knows they're having sex...again..in her kitchen.

 

And god does it feel good. 

 

It's a miracle they even hear the doorbell ring.

 

* * *

 

"Lord have mercy, Daniel." his mom breathes out in irritation the minute he's done recapping her the past week in New York. 

 

 _"Yeah."_ he chews on his bottom lip awkwardly as he stares off into space.

 

"No wonder she dumped your ass to the curb." she takes a deep sigh and takes a sip of the scotch she had poured for the both of them. 

 

He gives her a look and she holds a hand up, "Sorry, honey." she gives him a small pat of his shoulder and he sighs.

 

He holds a hand up and sighs, "It's fine..the truth hurts I guess." he spins the rim of his glass with his hand.

 

His mom takes a deep breath, "Have you spoken to Brynn at all?" she tries.

 

He shakes his head in response.

 

"She refuses to speak to me, much like her mother." he gazes at the kitchen wall that's lined with the finest artwork one could find in New York. 

 

Each time he tried to call Amy, she would dutifully offer the phone to Brynn who would shut him down without hesitation after hearing that it was Dan who was on the phone and waiting to speak to her. 

 

"I don't want to talk to him." he would hear Brynn's small voice in the background which ultimately broke his cold black heart and managed to piss him off at times. 

 

One thing he was never was desperate but, the way his daughter was treating him made his head hang in shame.

 

"Are you going to just sit here and sulk in your sorrows about it?"

 

He simply shrugs as he plays with the glass in his hands, "What's the point? I find Amy...we talk, then we argue, then we'll swear at each other up and down and...next thing I know I won't be able to see Brynn until she graduates from college."

 

Sally clicks her tongue at that as she inches her way over to the sink to dump out the contents of her liquor.

 

And before Dan can scold her for her actions (Because come on, that was a $317 bottle of Scotch) she takes a deep breath and lowers her heavy-lidded eyes at him.

 

"Honey, you are so painfully oblivious to what it is that you need to be doing." she crosses her arms after abandoning the glass in the sink and circling back around the counter to meet him.

 

"Really?" he smirks to himself, "And what exactly is it that I need to be doing?"

 

Sally dusts off her beige pantsuit and sighs to herself, "Do something that men don't often do." she speaks passionately, "Be vulnerable with her, she's probably sick and tired of all the tricks you have hidden up your sleeve." she encourages her son.

 

Dan simply blinks at his mom.

 

"What? I'm supposed to appear on her doorstep with roses and a well-rehearsed monologue where I profess my undying love for her?" he kids with her as he stands from the stool and inches his way over to the couch in the living room.

 

"If you feel that you're brave enough to admit that at this point than by all means, yes." 

 

"Mom-get out of my relationship with Amy." he sternly warns her as he locates his remote with his hand and begins to flicker through the channels on television. 

 

"Keep acting like this and there won't be _any_ relationship." 

 

Ignoring her, he continues to scroll through the thousands of channels trying to decide what will take his mind off of the latest tribulations he was faced with.

 

"I can see where I'm not wanted then." Sally claps her hands and makes her way down the hallway to retrieve Brandon and his overnight bag. 

 

After the whole fiasco with Brooke and Amy, he had made the executive decision to file for an emergency custody case that would keep Brandon in his care for up to a full month.

 

Since it was a busy process, his mom had volunteered to take Brandon back home with both her and Tim as they traveled back to DC.

 

Maybe he could call that one girl he had met at the gym for a quickie.

 

Caroline? Or Christiana? Or was it Christine?

 

The minute his mom and Brandon leave him, there's a sigh that escapes his throat that he forgot he was holding in for the past week or so. 

 

Now, since there were no distractions he could dedicate himself to turning this whole shitshow from upside down. 

 

And he had a plan. 

 

* * *

 

 "Amy. Where are you?" 

 

She takes a deep breath as she closes the door behind her and leans her head on the door, "Why do you care? You're the one who freaked out on me." she demanded strongly. 

 

Ryan makes a disagreeing noise on the opposing line. 

 

"I freaked _out_ on you?" he responds with the doubt high in his voice. "How else am I supposed to react when the love of my life tells me she doesn't want to marry me anymore?" 

 

"You told me you wouldn't do it again." her voice goes small as she rubs her exposed arm up and down.

  

"Is this because I lost my temper again?" Ryan snaps defiantly at her, "Ames, you know how I get when I lose my temper...I can't help it."

 

"I'm not coming to talk to you." she shakes her head

 

He scoffs at her in return (Which is enough to make her blood jump in fear), "So much for being a fucking adult." 

 

"Ryan." she pauses, "You promised me you wouldn't do it again." 

 

She loved Ryan. He was everything she was looking for in a man and more. But, being thrown against a wall while naked and being choked forcefully until she's certain she'll pass out was her new reality and she wasn't sure how much more she could take of it. The bruises (like the massive, purple one stamped on her hip) are getting harder to hide and she knew that Brynn and Claire were starting to worry about her whenever she couldn't move as quickly as she once did.

 

"Amy. Where are you?" he demands, "I will come and get you."

 

She panics and takes a look around the marble bathroom. If Ryan was ready to kill her over her not wanting to get married so soon, there was no doubt in her mind that he'll bury her without hesitation for being with Dan right now.

 

"With my mom." she lies through gritted teeth, "She felt sick and I came by to make sure she's okay."

 

"Well when you're done, come to the hotel, we'll be able to talk." he offers her

 

Part of her wants to go to the hotel and just snuggle with her kids just to make the eery feeling of failure and anger go away but, she didn't want to see Ryan right now. She needed time to herself and gather her thoughts, away from Ryan and the kids.

 

"I'm not coming tonight. I'll meet up with you in the morning and once we get home, we'll talk then." 

 

He gives her an aggravated sigh, "Ames. I want to talk about this now. Whether we do it in therapy or in this hotel room...I love you."

 

For the first time that whole night, she looks up and sees her reflection in the mirror. She winces at her disheveled brunette hair and red-rimmed eyes as the bright light from the mirror shine in her face. She lightly lifts up the shirt to see the marks stamped on her hip and lower thigh and runs her fingers over it gently.

 

Needing to cool down, she takes a few minutes to splash some cold water on her face.

 

She felt her body tense up all over again the minute she bids Ryan farewell and hangs up the phone, she hates feeling this way. 

 

After a few deep breathes, she exits the bathroom and is met with Dan who looks up from his position on the bed.

 

"You okay?" his voice lacks the concern yet his face is full of it. "Call seemed intense." 

 

She plays with her hair and clicks her tongue, "I don't want to talk about it...just leave it be." 

 

"Okay?" his eyebrow arches in uncertainty. 

 

"Ames, I know that-"

 

"Shut up." and she cuts him off with her lips against his.

 

She knows that she's risking possibly everything by doing this, having sex with Dan...again but, it was the only coping mechanism she could think of at that moment. And being the man-whore he is, she isn't at all surprised when Dan happily goes along with it and leans back; pulling her directly on top of him.

 

"Amy." Dan tries against her lips, "Ames.." he shakes her arm which prompts her to sit up from his lips and straddle his lap.

 

"What?" her chest heaves up and down as she searches his face for answers

 

"Are you sure you want to do this? Because I know I want to...more than you know-"

 

She holds a finger to his lips as she keeps her eyes on him.

 

"I need to forget." she lunges for his lips with great hunger.

 

She can't help the small shriek the comes from her throat and tries to downplay it but, from the way her face scrunches in pain she's thankful that Dan is way too oblivious to notice any of the concerning reactions she happens to make. 

 

 "It's been..a terrible day and I need something to make me forget everything." 

 

And the way his eyes twinkle slightly when he looks up at her is enough for her to know that he accepts the challenge.

 

And she forgets everything.

 

* * *

"I saw your face when I gave Brynn her present."

 

Amy lifts her head from the sink and sighs as she shuts off the running water.

 

"Okay, and?" 

 

"You looked.. _disappointed._ " Ryan shrugs his shoulders as he approaches her from behind towards the bathroom counter she stands at.

 

"I wasn't disappointed." she retorts as she keeps her eyes looking at everything but Ryan. 

 

"You certainly weren't happy." he crosses his arms, "Explain yourself." he leans against the wall and beckons a palm to Amy. 

 

There's a lot she wants to say but, she has to be cautious of the words she uses with Ryan. Not because she thinks of him as a child by any means but, she knew how...reactive he could get with her and she wanted to avoid that at all costs. 

 

She takes a step back and plays with her fingers, "I just..dodon't want her or Claire to get accustomed to a man buying them expensive gifts after they screw up."

 

"And what exactly is it that I screwed up?"

 

Fuck.

 

"Not in that way, Ryan." she holds a hand up

 

"So which way do you mean then?" 

 

She takes a deep breath, "I just don't think it's right and or appropriate to give an eight-year-old a necklace from Tiffany's. That's all."

 

He scoffs at that, "So it's okay for Dan to do it?"

 

"No, Ryan." she shakes her head, "That's not what I'm saying." she hears her voice crack in the middle. 

 

Ryan removes himself from the wall and inches towards her

 

"Then what is it you're trying to say? Because it sounds like you would let your scumbag ex get away with murder at this point."

 

"It's a necklace, Ryan." she follows suit and removes her body from the wall, "I don't care who got it for her, all I know is that she's doubting herself as a human fucking being over some goddamn necklace."

 

"The kid has chronic depression, what did you expect?" 

 

And that's what sets her over the edge.

 

Come after her all you want, she's a grown ass woman who can handle and defend herself. But, her children? Completely off limits as far as anyone else is concerned. 

 

She all but shocks herself when she pushes his body back into the wall with the force of a thousand men.

 

"Don't you _ever_ disrespect my child like that." she warns him, "Don't you dare." 

 

And before she can realize it, they're having a full-blown screaming match. He's throwing his hands all over the place while screaming expletives at her and she's doing the exact same thing.

 

Having had enough, she declares that she'll sleep in the Guest Room for the night and bids him farewell. But, he's not having any of it.

 

The minute she turns away, she feels his strong hands enclose around her neck and begins to throttle her neck forcefully which leaves Amy to struggle in getting out of his grasp.

 

The more and more she pleads, the more he chokes her and screams mockingly in her face and it's not until Brynn bounces into the room all bright and happy that he finally decides to let her go and her body falls to the ground.

 

"Mommy can you read me-wait, why are you on the ground?" her eyes go wide mid-sentence 

 

The tears sting in her eyes as Brynn's brown orbs are fully blown at the scene unfolding in front of her. 

 

"Mommy fell." Ryan gives the small girl a warm smile and inches near her, "But don't worry, she's doing alright. _Right,_ Mommy?"

 

Mustering the strength she's sure is gone, she gives the pair a weak nod and rises to her feet against her will.

 

"Are you okay?" Brynn makes her way over to Amy with concern filling her eyes.

 

"Yeah..I'm fine, baby. Don't worry about me." she runs a hand through her hair and readjusts her pajama shorts; trying to make herself look somewhat presentable. 

 

Without a second thought, she quickly escorts Brynn out of the bathroom and directly to her bedroom.

 

As she re-reads whatever Barbie story her daughter had requested for the zillionth time, she tries her hardest to shake the scene with Ryan out of her head but finds it impossible. Usually, it took her about a few minutes or so to regain strength after one of Ryan's anger-induced outbursts. But, tonight was oddly different.

 

Her hands were shaking as she tried to keep the book upright, her eyes were everywhere but reading the excerpts of the book out loud

and it didn't help that her fucking arm was killing her. 

 

"Mom, why do you look sad?" Brynn speaks up as she rests her head on her pillow. 

 

Fuck.

 

Amy had always tried to make it a point to keep her and Ryan's arguing away from the kids no matter what. Unfortunately for them, Brynn had just so happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

"It's nothing...my arm just hurts that's all." she shakes her head and fixes the cover that rests over Brynn's small body, "Don't worry about me." 

 

"Is it because you fell in the bathroom?" 

 

She pauses for a moment; struggling to find the words. 

 

It's not like she could flat out admit to her daughter that her future step-father throttled her so hard that she fell to the ground, it was a conversation that Amy wasn't sure she'd ever be ready to have. There's something about the way Brynn stares at her that makes her bottom lip quiver in sadness and her body shake in shock all over.

 

"Yes, it's because I fell, honey."

 

A moment of silence falls over the two as Amy helps Brynn settle underneath her duvet and she bends down to press a kiss on the crown of her head.

 

"Mommy?" Brynn's small voice finds Amy at alert, yet again.

 

"Yes, honey?"

 

The dark blonde child takes a deep sigh and keeps her eyes down, "I miss Daddy."

 

"I know you do, honey." she runs a hand through the child's hair.

 

She wishes that Dan was here sometimes, someone familiar to help her carry the load of parenting. It seems he had made his decision already; and that decision didn't include her and or Brynn so, they had to learn how to move on. Whether moving on meant she and

 

Ryan working out the kinks then getting married or even her being a single mom, she had to be smart and logical about her next steps.

 

"Whenever I have a nightmare, Daddy always sings me a song."

 

That makes her smile. She remembers, so vividly..when Brynn was a small baby how she and Dan would have to sleep on the couch in her nursery just to calm her down. Notably, one night for whatever reason, Brynn wouldn't stop crying for the life of her and Amy was so exhausted, she started crying tears of frustration. In a weird turn of events, Dan got up from the couch and softly sang the screaming baby a chorus or two of 'Hey Jude' to help calm her down.

 

And for the first time that whole night, Brynn went quiet and listened to Dan's singing.

 

"He used to do that when you were a baby." 

 

Taking that in, Brynn nods as plays with the cherry red duvet.  

 

At that moment, all of the faults from the past week start stumbling into her brain. Part of her realizes that maybe...just maybe, she took the whole New York situation just a tad bit too hard.

 

She knew that Dan was an irredeemable, unspeakable asshole but, one thing she knew was how much he cared about his daughter. Yes, he may be fucking the whole city of New York like the man-whore he is but, he had always been there for Brynn. And isn't that what makes a good father?

 

"Have you been having nightmares, Brynn?" Amy adjusts her body so she lays on her side.

 

The girl hesitates for a brief moment and she sighs, "Yes." she admits sadly, "I'm sorry, Mom.".

 

She uses her thumb to wipe away the tears streaming down Brynn's soft face and gives her a warm smile, "It's okay, you have nothing to worry about. I'm here." 

 

"Okay." the girl gives a small nod as Amy encourages her to go to sleep.

 

That night, she intends to stay with Brynn until she peacefully falls asleep; in case she needs anything. But, the way she's clinging onto Amy as if her life depends on it is enough to convince her body to stay in bed the whole night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to leave a comment and or kudos! Feedback is highly encouraged and greatly appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Make sure to leave a comment and or kudos! It's all greatly appreciated


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